Sunday, November 28, 2010

Thanksgiving

There are a lot of things to be grateful for and I just want to mention a few. First, I’m thankful for my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. God is very much involved in my life. He has granted me opportunity after opportunity to do whatever I’ve aspired to do or become. I give God all credit for anything good that has happened to me. Second, I’m grateful for my wife and children. They become my greatest asset when I find myself on campus struggling with the demands of graduate school. During these moments, I think of how great life will be when I come home at 5pm. The simple act of thinking about my family helps me deal with the stress of life. I then go home at five to be greeted by two kids that make me believe there is no one greater in the world than their dad. And Lindsey has proven time and time again that she is as dedicated to me as I am to her. Third, I have to give a shout out to my parents. They want nothing more than for me to be happy. Having children myself has made me realize what they must have done for me. I’m blown away by their love and willingness to give all that they have for their children. Last, I’m grateful for the great friends we’ve made here in Minnesota. Friends make a world of difference when you find yourself in a new place. The people in my program and those here living with us in student housing have made our experience so enjoyable. I was especially thankful for the good friends that surrounded us this thanksgiving.


Here are a few random pictures.



Jack and Jude are growing up. Jack can now dress himself and Jude is starting to put words together. We love how Jude's feet are still far from touching the ground in this picture. He is a little guy.


This is a couple of my classmates and our boys at a Timberwolves game. You know its guys night out when there are diaper bags involved. Jack loved his $4 pretzel and hiking up to the top row of seats.
This is a classic Jude moment. Jude likes to headbutt everything. He usually does it when he is frustrated and it might be the stairs or your head that he is trying to connect with. In this case, he is actually in a great mood but can't resist the opportunity to try his headbutting skills out on the door.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Bilateral Hernia Repair

Jack had to have an operation this past Wednesday to repair a hernia on his right side. It had been noticeably bulging since July and we have been working with the doctors to have it repaired since August. Everything went well and Jack did phenomenal. He ended up having a small hernia on his left side that needed to be repaired as well, so he had two small incisions. The hospital where we had the surgery was brand new and they have made everything to cater to the families. Jack didn't have any discomfort and they had lots of things to entertain him while we waited for the operation (which was delayed 1 1/2 hours). He didn't have any reactions to the anesthesia and actually woke up normal, just a little tired. He ended up lying on the couch for a day and a half and then he was back to jumping off the couch, running around , riding his bike, and doing all of the other crazy stunts Jordan has taught him. Thankfully everything went really well and we are just happy to have it taken care of. My pictures are out of order but here was our little trooper!
This is after the procedure when he was waking up from the anesthesia. It was a little nerve-wracking waiting for them to bring him to us after the surgeon had let us know that the surgery went well.
Because Jack's surgery was delayed we had plenty of time to play and call friends. Here Jack is talking on the phone to his cousin Leah. I was freezing and wearing two sweaters and Jordan and Jack were hot, thus Jack stripped off his cool hospital pjs.

Jordan has been so busy with school lately, that Jack was glad to have all the one-on-one time with his dad. He hardly made a peep as long as Jordan was by him.

These are the awesome purple pjs that Jack got at the hospital and have since made it home to our house! Jack was really awesome and has been amazing through it all. The staff at the hospital all fell in love with him and who could resist?